A new Lotus Elder

[Edda]

Her feet hit the desert sand, like usual, and she headed inside the house. She cast aside her shoes, hit the teleporter and entered their living space. First thing she did was near-rush to Shinto's bed. She saw his cute little face in peaceful slumber. She fussed with his blankets and delicately kissed his forehead, careful not to wake him. Once she finally tore her eyes away from him, she set off to find Takumi. She turned the corner to the kitchen, to see him putting the last (of what looked like a big load) of clean bottles in the dish rack. He grabbed a towel and leaned up against the counter, drying his hands, when she entered.
"Hello Shidoshi" he grinned. She walked forward and hugged him tight for several minutes. Taken a little by surprise, he tossed the towel on the counter and hugged her back.
"Thank you for watching Shinto alone tonight.. We're lucky to have such a great husband and father" she finally said, as the broke the hug.
He kissed her forehead and told her to go get comfortable, while he poured them a glass of warm sake. Then she could tell him all about the evening. So she set off to their bedroom and when she got there she took off her crisp new charcoal gray jacket. She hung it in the closet and looked at it for a few minutes. She ran her fingers over the new badge. She cast her armor aside and threw on blue sweatpants and one of Tak's old shirts. Walking into the bathroom, she let her hair fall out of her usual ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. The red was fading and her natural brown was taking over. Normally her first thought was she'd have to go see Yuna and have more dye made. But she wasn't sure this time..
She headed back out to find Takumi, who was sitting comfy on a pile of pillows, skimming through a book. Plopping down next to him, he passed her a mug of warm sake and closed the book. "Tell me everything", he said "Especially how you came to have an Elder jacket tonight".

[Edda]

They both had known she would get her promotion to Shidoshi that evening, that was why he stayed home with Shinto, and she went to the meeting. They had yet to find a permanent Sunday night sitter, and hoped to in the coming week. But being put on the Elder council was not anything the Soke had told her about. He had told her to evening would have more in store for her, but she had definitely not expected to be coming home in a gray jacket.

She told Takumi all about how Bish described the replacement Nezumi Elder for several minutes before announcing who it was.. and how her stomach flip flopped around the more and more it sounded like he was talking about her. She described the way Soke called out her name, and how it echoed in her head repeatedly afterwards.. and how when she got up to walk to the front of the room, it felt like her legs were made of rubber. And how, she'd never forget the look of pride in Soke's eyes, as she very shakily accepted her new uniform from him. Of all her guildmates, Soke had personally chosen her, and she felt beyond honored to be his choice. She told Takumi, that when she walked away and removed her sune ku jacket, shoving it in her bag, she pulled the gray elder jacket tight around her and it fit like it had been made just for her. It wrapped across her chest just right, and the blood red belt sat just right around her.

After that, she laid back and took several long sips of sake, and enjoyed the company of her best friend. Because no matter how much work and responsibility she had during the day, it was nice to know she could let her hair down and relax with him at night.

[Edda]

She had made up her mind.
Assuming the weather in the desert, and in Tokuno, was nothing compared to what it might be in Blackmarsh this time of year, she dug in her closet and found her warm hooded robe she never used. She lay it on the bed and began layering Shinto in his own clothes. She pulled on his mini hooded robe, made especially for him, by Casey.
Casey ran a small shop on the outskirts of Zento, and supplied the Blue Lotus with uniforms, so she was no doubt constantly busy. But since the first time she looked into Shinto's little gray eyes, she had been spending all her free time sewing him a whole wardrobe. It started with a little pair of ninja tabi, then the next time Edda went 'round her shop, she had a large stack of newly sewn baby shirts and little ninja pants.
Next she pulled on his little knit cap and her own hooded robe. She hugged him tight with one arm, and flipped through her runebook with the other. She found what she was looking for and her feet hit dirt in the city of Cove. She trekked through the harsh wind and out the city gate into the country side. She kept her eyes and ears sharp and just headed forward until she reached the steps of the house. Yuna was inside cleaning up after what looked like a raging party, but was probably just an evening of the Blackmarsh guys hanging out and drinking.
Yuna stopped and grinned as Edda and Shinto walked in. Edda removed Shinto's robe and placed him in the little wicker bassinet that Yuna had always kept for babies she looked after. She removed her own robe and Yuna's eyes immediately went to her hair. It was now mostly brown, with red tips.
"Needing your hair done, Miss Edda?" she asked, casually. Then moved over to the bassinet and hung a wind chime above it. She touched it gently, making the wood clank together to make soft patterns of noise to entertain Shinto.
"Just a trim", Edda responded, examining the red ends.
"No dye?" Yuna asked her, eyes widening in surprise.
"No more dye," Edda said, in a near whisper. "I'm going to let it stay brown from now on."
Yuna didn't question her at first. Just got out her normal hair cutting shears and a comb. Edda sat on a stool and Yuna covered her back in a light cloak and splashed a little water on the ends. She gently took out Edda's ponytail and set to work, trimming, right away. After a few moments, Yuna's curiosity was too much. She had known Edda all her life, and known that long ago, Edda had begun dying it red to try to hide her true identity from her old guildmates and friends. Edda had grown to love her red hair. She quietly asked her why she was letting it grow out.
Edda shrugged gently, trying not to disrupt Yuna's work. She watched the last of her red hair fall to the floor in a messy half circle around her stool. After several minutes, Yuna set down the shears and combed through Edda's hair.
"All set" she announced, taking a mirror from a basket and handing it to Edda. Edda held it in front of her face and opened her eyes, almost expecting to see herself as a young teenager. But what she saw was herself as a more mature person. No longer afraid to hide herself. Yuna watched her, obviously wondering what she was thinking.
Edda looked at her, then back in the mirror.
"I don't feel the need to hide my identity anymore, Yuna. I'm a wife, a mother, and now holding a respectful position in a strong and honorable clan. I'm proud of who I am" she handed the mirror back to Yuna, and pulled her hair back into its usual ponytail.
Yuna put the mirror away and turned back to face Edda. "I've been waiting years to hear you say that."